Dangerous black ties

Addressed

I stop as Dexter walks ahead of me.

I turn away with his back to me and look at the elevator, still open. Making a quick sprint to the elevator.

"Going somewhere?" Mr. Greyson asks, opening his office door as he leans against the doorway.

"I forgot something," I say, stuttering as I make small steps toward my escape.

"Well, before you run off, we still have some things we need to discuss, he responds.

I look over, and Dexter is staring at me, no longer walking into the office, with everyone staring at us intently.

"Listen, this is getting out of hand." I start out

"Would you rather do this in my office or in there? He asks, staring at me and pointing to the room with all his men.

"Do what?" I ask, taking a step backward to the elevator.

"You think that I'm stupid, Meredith?" he asks me, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What are you even talking about?" I say nervous, my heart beating out of my chest.

"In my office now! You know exactly what I'm talking about, so don't play coy with me!" He booms

My feet stay still, firmly planted on the ground. I stare at the ground. I was gulping on my spit as my world came crashing down below me. I wanted nothing more than the floor to swallow me whole. I stand there, contemplating if I could just use the elevator. Where would I even go? Every single one of them knew where I lived.

I was entrapped in my thoughts for too long. Dexter grabs ahold of my upper arm, dragging me into Mr. Greyson's office.

Shoving me in and following inside himself, he blocked my exit.

"Everyone just calm down. This is dramatic; I'm fine." I try and reason.

Mr. Grayson, who is now sitting down in his office chair, slams his fist down, startling me.

"I'll tell you what, Meredith. You are going to walk over here and stand in front of me. You are going to hold your arm out in front of me. I'm going to touch it. If you make a single peep or your facial expression changes in any way, you will take your coat off and let me look at it. Afterward, we will go from there." He states that his voice never faltered.

Okay, I think simple enough.

Don't be a baby, and he won't find out anything.

"Now, Meredith." Dexter's voice says behind me: I was seemingly impatient with my defiance.

I look at the ground and stand in front of Mr. Greyson.

"Eyes on me." He says he is leaning forward in his chair.

I put my arm, which didn't hurt, in front of him.

"Don't try to deceive me, Meredith; we all know it's your other arm." He states that he is holding his hand out.

I move my arm towards him.

"So you do know how to listen." He says to me:

I try to keep an even face when all he has done is place his hand on my arm.

I bite my tongue in my mouth harshly. To stop any unwanted noise from escaping. Or my body involuntarily moving away from his touch.

He lightly squeezed my arm. I felt my eyes water. He stops.

"Jacket off." He says this to me with his lips firmly placed together.

"I didn't do anything. I didn't make a peep." I am protesting.

"You are right, you didn't make a peep. But your facial expression changed. So for now, take your jacket off. All I'm going to do is look at your arm." He demands

"It's probably just bruised or sprained; I'm fine." I am attempting to walk away until my shirt is grabbing.

"If that's the case, let me see it; I'm telling you right now. All I want to do is make sure you are okay. You keep lying. So I'm going to be checking. It can be the easy way or the hard way." He says.

"Easy way or the hard way?! What the hell does that mean?!" I ask, being taken aback by his choice of words.

"It doesn't have to be the hard way. Just take off your jacket and hand it to Dexter. If it's as fine as you keep saying, show it to me." He says this, looking at me sternly.

I knew there wasn't a way out of this. This job would get me killed. My father would kill me if the cops were called.

"If I show anything, you cannot call the cops. He will kill me." I say, my voice trembling.

"Deal," Mr. Greyson says immediately.

I sigh, slipping off my coat. My short-sleeve blouse underneath.

My bruises and cigarette burns danced across my skin.

I softly place the coat in Dexter's stretched-out hand.

Various states of bruises on my arms are now visible.

I couldn't help but notice the tension increase in the air. Nobody says anything.

Mr. Greyson runs his hands through his hair and over his face.

A heavy sigh leaves his lips.

"Sit on my desk." He says this as he continues to sit in his chair.

Shame and embarrassment fuel my body as I sit down on his deck in front of him.

He looks at my arm, wrapped tightly.

Before unwrapping delicately as if foreign to his nature.

"Jesus Christ," he mumbles under his breath as more and more of my arm is unwrapped.

He places the wrap on the desk, looking at it intently.

He looks at Dexter.

"Go get Jerry." He says to Dexter

"Yes, boss," he says.

"What are you doing?" I just told you I'd only show you." I said I was trying to jump off the deck.

He was softly shoved back.

"That was not agreed to; all you asked was for the cops not to be called. I assure you, they won't be." He says to me: Moments later, Dexter and Jermery stroll in.

"Dexter said you need me?" He asked, and my back was to him.

"Well, Jermery, you are the most qualified to look at the situation." He says he is trying to choose his words carefully.

I don't hear him reply, just his feet shuffling on the ground.

He looks at my exposed arms before looking at Mr. Greyson. He shakes his head and clenches his jaw slightly. He looks at my heavily bruised, swollen arm. He softly touches it in certain areas.

I clench my other hand in a fist, trying my best not to punch him.

"Well, it's broken. I'm sure you already knew that." He says this to Mr. Greyson.

"I was just confirming my thoughts." He stated this, looking at Jerry.

"Is it just your arm that's hurt, Meredith?" Jerry asks.

Lie

"Yes," I say it as convincingly as possible.

"She's lying. I saw some bruises myself on her back." Dexter says

That little bitch.

"Is that true?" Mr. Greyson asks me.

"Uh."

My breathing increases as I try to form words.

As Mr. Greyson leans toward me, trapping his arms on both sides of my body.

He looks at me and tugs on the bottom of my shirt, pulling it up slowly, leaving my bruised skin exposed to the cold air.

Jermery lets out a small gasp. "Jesus," he says, tugging on the other side, my back and ribs on display.

He lightly touches my ribs. His cold fingers touched my skin.

"Fine! Is that what you call fine?" Jermery asked me, startling me.

I shove their hands away.

"Just leave it alone. You said you wouldn't call the police." I am angry.

Jermery pulls my shirt up on the other side.

"I said to leave it alone." I snap at him.

Mr. Greyson says, "If you don't want the cops to get called, you will let him finish examining you. He is a doctor, after all."

"Fine, whatever," I said, looking away from both of them.

I think why the hell would a doctor not be working at a doctor's office or hospital? Weird.

He raises. Looking at me with a serious face.

"I'm certain you have a couple of broken ribs. Possibly even a bruised kidney. Judging by the heavy bruising on your back,

"Do you have any more?" Mr. Greyson asks me

"Why are you even asking her?! Just roll up her pants and check, because even if she did, she wouldn't be honest." Dexter says this through clenched teeth.

Mr. Greyson started rolling up my pants, showing old scars and varying bruises on my skin.

Jermery does the same. Before tugging it down.

Mr. Greyson is following suit.

"Are we done here?" I ask, covering my arms.

Dexter places my coat softly on my shoulders.

"I need a name, and I need it now!" Mr. Greyson says his face is angry.

"I can't tell you," I whisper, my voice trembling in fear.

"A boyfriend?" Jermery asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

"No. I've never had a boyfriend." I say, rolling my eyes.

"Then who?" Dexter asks me impatiently.

"I can't tell you! All you are going to do is tell the cops; he will kill me; I can't tell you." I say, my voice panicking.

"Nobody in this room will call the police. I promise." Mr.Greyson says.

I look at Dexter and Jermery, who simply nod in agreement.

"It is my dad," I said, looking at the ground, that before I could try to defuse the situation, Mr. Greyson's door was slammed shut.

Dexter vanishing.

"You said you weren't going to call the cops," I say, trying to chase after him.

"Pump the breaks," Jermery says

"We said we weren't going to call the cops. We aren't going to." Jermery says

"He is going to call; he just left." I am panicking.

"Listen, the cops aren't going to be called; you need to calm down. Breathe." He says this again, looking at Mr. Greyson.

"Well, where did he go?" I'm trying to calm down.

"I'm assuming he went to deal with some personal business. I was going to join him. But you are having a panic attack. Breathe in, Meredith; it will be okay."

I soak in his words, absorbing them.

"Join him?" I ask for confusion.

Then it dawned on me.

"My dad will kill him. You have to stop him!" I say getting up.

"He will be fine. I'm assuming he probably took some of the guys with him." He says he is trying to reassure him.

"What? No! Nobody needs to get hurt." I say to him, looking at Mr. Greyson.

"Well, someone already has. It's time it was addressed." Mr. Greyson says

I felt myself getting lightheaded.

"Jesus Christ, Mary, breathe," Jermery says, pleading

As darkness surrounded me,.